Sourdough Giant Bavarian Pretzel
Sourdough Giant Bavarian Pretzel
“These really brought me back to my college days in München (Munich).” - Nancy B.
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There is nothing like a giant pretzel when you're in Germany, especially during Octoberfest! I got to experience the Giant Pretzels at the Hofbräuhaus during my college years when I lived in Germany for the summer. The taste and flavor brought back all those happy memories.
Prep Time: 1 hour (plus overnight levain)
Bulk Ferment Time: 3-4 hours (varies on temperature and humidity of your house)
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Servings: makes 2 Giant Bavarian Pretzels, 4 large heart-shaped pretzels or 12 regular-sized pretzels
Ingredients
For the Overnight Levain (Ready in 10-12 hours):
For the Pretzel Dough:
For the Dipping:
For the Topping:
Preparation Steps
1. (9:00 p.m.) In a small bowl or jar, mix the Levain ingredients. Cover the jar and keep it at a warm temperature for 12 hours.
2. (9:00 a.m., next day) Add the flour, water, salt, softened butter, diastatic malt powder, and levain to the bowl of a mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix on speed 1 for 2 to 3 minutes until all of the ingredients are incorporated. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes. Continue to mix on speed 2 for 4-6 additional minutes until the dough becomes smooth and cohesive—an improved mix.
3. (9:15 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.) Give the dough one set of stretch and folds after the first hour of bulk fermentation. Return the dough to the bulk container and let rest until time to divide. (Approximately 3.5 hours)
4. At this point, you can refrigerate overnight if you are baking the next day. You can skip this step and continue with step 5 if you are shaping and baking the same day. [I usually refrigerate mine. I make the levain the night before. Mix the dough in the morning, do one set of stretch and folds, then head to work. I set an alarm on my husband's phone to put it in the refrigerator 3.5 hours after I mixed the dough since he works from home. Then I shape and bake when I get home or the next morning.]
5. (12:45 p.m.) Because the dough is low hydration, keep it covered at all times.
6. Option 1: Divide the dough into two pieces, each of which will become a large Bavarian pretzel. Pre-shape each piece into a giant tapered cigar shape. Let both pieces rest 15 minutes covered with plastic.
7. Option 2: Divide the dough into twelve, 115 gram rectangular pieces. Preshape each rectangle into a tapered cigar shape. Let the pieces rest 15 minutes covered with plastic.
8. (1:00 p.m.) Line two half-sheet pans with parchment paper. Starting with the piece preshaped first, place the cigar in front of you so the tips are at your sides. Begin with your hands slightly overlapping in the middle, press down and roll the dough back and forth away from and toward your body. As you are rolling, start to move your hands outward to encourage the tube to spread out and become increasingly thin as you move from the center out to the tips. You want to keep an exaggerated bulge in the very center of this rope, this will be the part you later score to open in the oven. Roll until the rope is 6 feet long. Place dough in a U-shape in front of you. Cross the tips over each other twice and then fold forward toward the large bulge of the giant pretzel. Place each tip on its corresponding side ontop of the pretzel. Gently press it down into the side to seal. (Alternatively shape into 12 smaller pretzels). Place pretzels on a parchment lined baking sheet.
9. (1:15 p.m. to 1:45 p.m.) Let the pretzels proof on the counter at room temperature for 30 minutes, covered. Then, uncover the pans and transfer to the fridge for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Turn your oven on as directed below.
10. Place two racks in your oven, one at the bottom and one in the top third. Preheat your oven to 450°F with convection or (475°F without convection).
11. (2:45 p.m.) In a large pot or electric skillet, boil water. Once it is vigorously boiling, add the baking soda. Line the electric skillet with a round cooling rack to ease the removal of your giant pretzel. Place your first large pretzel into the boiling water and cook for 90 seconds. Using two spatulas, lift the cooling rack with the pretzel on it and transfer it to your parchment covered baking sheet. Repeat with second pretzel.
12. (3:00 p.m.) Score the fat base of each pretzel with your bread lame or a knife and sprinkle with course sea salt salt. Bake at 450°F for 10 minutes. Rotate the pans back to front and top to bottom, turn the oven down to 425°F and bake for 8-12 minutes longer until a deep brown color. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Enjoy warm from the oven.
13. Dip in German mustard or Wisconsin beer cheese.
NOTE
I’ve always loved a giant Bavarian pretzel. Reminds me of my college days in Munchen (Munich) at the Hofbrauhaus. I was excited to try this at home. The malt powder in this recipe adds to the chewiness and pull of the pretzel.
When I made the heart-shaped version of this, I didn't make them as large because the pointed pretzel would not fit in my electric skillet for boiling.
*Original Recipe from ThePerfectLoaf.
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